LFSRSF, Summer 2014

Richa Gwalani, Guneet Sandhu, Tom Schultz, Savannah Wing

Abstract

People in many parts of the world are still devoid of basic human necessity like clean drinking water. Many drinking water treatment systems in the global south face limited economic viability because of the unreliable source of electricity and expensive operation costs. Stacked Rapid Sand Filters (SRSF) were invented by the AguaClara team to eliminate the need for pumps or control equipment, thus making it more robust and reliable than conventional rapid sand filters. The low-flow stacked rapid sand filter (LFSRSF) is an adaptation of the SRSF for flow rates < 3.0 L/s and is currently being deployed in India for flow rates of 0.8 L/s serving communities of about 500 people. The previous LFSRSF research teams have been working on fabricating the laboratory version (version 1) of the filter with continuous improvements to the design aimed at simplifying the operation and maintenance of the filters. This version of the full-scale filter in the lab fabricated by the previous team has 0.2mm slotted pipes throughout and top and bottom manifolds consisting of single slotted pipes. The initial version 1filter is nearing completion in two villages in India, Rohne and Gufu. Our work was to fabricate the next version full-scale filter, version 2, which was built upon the previous teams version 1filter. In the 2nd version of the full-scale filter, we tried to mitigate problems faced by the previous version, such as overflowing of the inlet tank and the inability to backwash at designed ow rates. We also wanted to move towards the ability to handle and filter turbid water. This 2nd version of the full-scale LFSRSF will be used as a prototype for mass production by the Tata Water Mission in India. A major part of optimizing the operation of the filters included accounting for head loss incurred in the system and incorporating these changes in the final design of the critical components of the filter.

String Digester - Summer 2019

Madeline Garrell, Emily Wood

Abstract:

The String Digester Summer 2019 subteam continued research on designing a new trickling filter to eliminate problems associated with conventional designs. Experiments this summer focused on designing a water distribution system that does not encourage preferential flow, and creating a matrix of strings using "loopy yarn" as the filter media. An ideal string digester would distribute water uniformly onto a large number of densely packed strings from a spray. Initial testing demonstrated that a "good" spray can be achieved with flow rates on the order of 10 μL/s, which is the amount needed to ensure proper cleaning by a biofilm. Initial testing found the string density resulting in the least preferential flow to be between 25 and 30 strings/cm, although more trials are needed to confirm this result. Further experimentation is also needed to improve the spray pattern geometry, and to determine if the "loopy yarn" is suitable for biofilm growth. The long-term goal of this team is to create an efficient wastewater treatment system that will perform secondary and tertiary treatment on domestic wastewater.

Fluoride - Summer 2018

Ching Pang, Kevin Sarmiento, Cheer Tsang

Abstract:

Fluoride is a major contaminant in drinking water in many parts of India. The fluoride team's overarching goal is to create low cost, compact, and sustainable solutions to fluoride contamination in drinking water. The Summer 2018 team aims to continue and expand upon the work of previous teams by running experiments with both the pump-controlled system and the gravity powered system. The goal for the summer is to optimize the amount of coagulant needed to reduce the effluent fluoride concentration to 1 mg/L, as per the fluoride standard in India and design an easily adjustable gravity powered system. In addition, the team aims to develop a simple user guide for the fluoride probe in order to maximize future teams' efficiency.

UASB - Summer 2019

Nina Blahut, Shania Fang, Emily Liu, Kanha Matai, Cara Smith

Abstract:

Since the spring of 2017, the AguaClara Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket (UASB) team has been working on a the design and fabrication of a pilot-scale UASB reactor. An UASB reactor is a form of primary wastewater treatment that uses anaerobic digestion to treat the wastewater. The team has created Python code and various CAD models to record the design process and the calculations behind the reactor.

In the summer of 2019, the team will be fabricating six UASB reactors at the Ithaca Area Wastewater Treatment Facility for testing and data collection.

Fluoride Removal - Summer 2019

Fluoride Auto - Cindy Jin, Melissa Louie, Mike Rees

Abstract:

The Summer 2019 Fluoride team investigated issues related to the Automated and Gravity systems, with the goal of determining ideal conditions for removing fluoride. Initial qualitative tests prompted fabrication changes, such as an increase in the plate settler angle in the sedimentation tube. Jar testing was also done to examine if a floc blanket is needed for fluoride removal. Several changes in the sedimentation tube were tested to develop an optimal system for fluoride removal. Fluoride concentrations were measured with an ion electrode to determine removal efficiency and to continue developing the Langmuir Adsorption Isotherm model.